The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 62% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gardner Elementary School
Gardner Elementary School serves fourth and fifth grades in Waterloo, a county-seat town in southwestern Illinois with a historic downtown and strong ties to the St. Louis metro region about twenty to twenty-four miles away. The school sits on a campus outside the downtown core, in a district that also includes two other elementary schools, a junior high, and a high school.
On state assessments, Gardner shows a mixed profile across its two grade levels. In fourth-grade English language arts, proficiency sits in the mid-to-upper range. Fourth-grade math proficiency is lower, closer to the middle. Fifth-grade performance is slightly stronger in both subjects, with English language arts and math both reaching roughly two-thirds proficiency. Fifth-grade science proficiency runs at a similar level. Test participation rates are strong across the board, near universal.
Relative to the three other school districts in Monroe County, Gardner's overall proficiency index sits just below the county median. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school on whether specific interventions are underway in math, where fourth-grade results are the softest data point.
The school enrollment is small to moderate for its grade band, with fourth and fifth graders making up the roster. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic population and minimal representation of other racial and ethnic groups. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status were not available, so the socioeconomic and special-need composition remains unclear from the figures provided.
The town itself is in gradual growth mode, with new single-family subdivisions filling in around the residential footprint. Housing values in the zip code are slightly below the Illinois state benchmark. The local economy rests on county government, the school district itself as an employer, small industrial firms, and retail anchors, with many residents also commuting to St. Louis. Civic amenities include a downtown historic district with tree-lined streets and antique shops, a public library, five public parks with walking trails and sports facilities, and four golf courses. The landscape is a mix of farmland, woods, and residential development.
No recent district-level policy changes or referendum activity surfaced that would shape the parent experience at the school level.
See more original research from School Decision →